Join the Conversation

Harrison, Cajuns claim 14-inning marathon win

Tim Buckley, WFMY 10:59 p.m. CDT May 17, 2014

UL’s Michael Strentz hits a bunt single to load the bases in the second inning during the Cajuns’ 14-inning win over UL Monroe on Saturday at Tigue Moore Field.
(Photo:
Leslie Westbrook/The Advertiser
)

Before getting a celebratory cream pie in the face from teammate Tyler Girouard, Ragin' Cajuns centerfielder Seth Harrison was recounting what was in his head as he stood at the plate with the bases loaded and UL tied with UL Monroe in the bottom of the 14th inning Saturday night.

Tyler Bray was about to deliver his first pitch of the at-bat, and Harrison had just one thing in mind as an announced 4,302 at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field watched.

"I was really hoping he was going to throw me a fastball," Harrison said, "because I was gonna swing no matter what."

Sure enough …

"Yeah," Harrison said. "He threw me a fastball, and I was able to put a good lick on it."

Not long later, Harrison – whose fly ball went to the wall in right on one hop, scoring Michael Strentz – was cleaning his face.

UL ended the 2014 regular season with a 6-5 extra-innings win over ULM, sending the nation's No. 3-ranked Cajuns into the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Mobile on a six-game win streak and with a 49-7 overall record.

The 49 victories set a Sun Belt record and tie UL's school record, which was set on three occasions previously, the last time in 2000.

UL opens the double-elimination SBC tourney at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday against the very same ULM team, seeded eighth, that it just swept in a three-game series and that it went 6-0 against in the regular season.

The Cajuns had sewn up the No. 1 seed prior to this weekend, but it didn't seem that way Saturday.

Especially afterward.

"This is the last game of the season that really doesn't mean a whole, whole lot in the thick of things," said coach Tony Robichaux, whose club will finish the regular season with at least five more wins than any other team in the country. "Yet they're running all over the place like just got to the College World Series.

"That's a good sign."

ULM struck first when Chet Simoneaux doubled in Keelin Rasch, but UL went up 2-1 in the second as Greg Davis scored on Chase Compton's sacrifice fly and Compton scored on Blake Trahan's sacrifice fly.

The Cajuns tacked on two more in the third as Jace Conrad doubled in Harrison and Conrad scored on Davis' sacrifice fly.

After trading single runs in the fourth – Jacob Stockton doubled in Ross Moore for ULM, and Strentz delivered a solo homer in the bottom of the inning – UL went into the fifth leading 5-2.

But ULM got one right away as Rasch doubled in Tidwell, one in the sixth as Moore doubled in Dalton Herrington and – tying it at 5-5 – one in the ninth as pinch-runner Vincent Dellocono advanced to third and scored on back-to-back wild pitches by Harrison, who came in from the outfield to try to close.

It stayed that way until the bottom of the 14th, which started with Strentz singling, Compton bunting over Strentz, Trahan getting intentionally walked and Ryan Leonards getting hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out.

Up stepped Harrison, whose walk-off single was his team-high 57th RBI – leaving him three shy of becoming the first Cajun with at least 60 since current Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy had 68 in 2007.

"I just told (Harrison) to get it done," Strentz said. "He was the one we needed up, and he did exactly what he needed to do."

Griffitt, Bazar, Harrison, Cooper, Charpentier and Anderson combined to allow only five hits and one run over the game's final 8.0 innings.

Anderson (1-0) threw a scoreless 14th inning to become the 12th Cajun pitcher with at least one victory this year.

"We just grinded it out. … We didn't get spooked, (even) with a lot of arms," Robichaux said. "That's a lot of freshmen and guys with not a lot of experience running out of the bullpen, so I don't think today could be any better."

LAGNIAPPE: Five Cajun seniors were honored before Saturday's game: first baseman Compton, third baseman Leonards, Boutte, Carter, Griffitt, reliever Matt Hicks, reliever Matt Plitt and pitcher/outfielder Ryan Wilson. … Five Cajuns graduated and received their degrees before the game, as did team manager Tyler Cater: Griffitt, Hicks, Plitt, DH Girouard and Harrison. … To keep his hot bat in the lineup, usual reserve Davis made his first start of the season in the outfield. He opened in left over regular Caleb Adams, and now has 14 RBIs in UL's last five games. … The Cajuns won for sixth time this season despite being out-hit (14-13). … UL swept 8-of-14 weekend series this season, six against Sun Belt opponents (plus Southern Mississippi and Texas Southern). … The Cajuns are now 14-0 against left-handed starters and 18-1 vs. in-state opponents. They've had double-digit hits in 38-of-56 games. … Compton has now reached in 19 straight games. … Two ex-Cajuns now in the NFL, Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman and San Diego Chargers tight end Ladarius Green, threw out ceremonial first pitches Saturday.